Jul 2015

SurveyMonkey Adds Two Board Directors

Facebook Operating Chief Sheryl Sandberg is joining the board of SurveyMonkey, the company formerly run by her late husband.

Sandberg said in a press release Monday she is joining the SurveyMonkey board to help carry on the vision of David Goldberg, who led the online-questionnaire company for six years until his untimely death in an accident two months ago.

“I’m looking forward to working with the board and this amazing team and help to realize Dave’s vision of building a lasting company that will impact the way we all do business for years to come,” Sandberg said in the statement.

SurveyMonkey is adding veteran leadership in the wake of Goldberg’s death, including bringing on GoPro GPRO executive Zander Lurie as interim chief executive. Lurie has also accepted a new role as chairman at SurveyMonkey, the company said Monday.

Sandberg’s former colleague, ex-Facebook finance chief David Ebersman, is also joining the SurveyMonkey board. Ebersman was CFO at Facebook during its 2012 initial public offering and left the social network earlier this year to co-found a personal healthcare startup, Lyra Health.

Goldberg, a beloved fixture of Silicon Valley, had led several new initiatives at SurveyMonkey over the past year, including a benchmarking service that helps businesses measure how their customer and employee satisfaction compares with their competitors.

The company is still searching for Goldberg’s permanent replacement.

Sandberg, who wrote the book “Lean In”, has repeatedly described her husband’s support as crucial to helping her accomplish her career goals while having a family. Goldberg, in turn, was an outspoken supporter of his wife’s efforts to promote equal pay and treatment for women in the workplace.

Sandberg gave an emotional eulogy during a memorial service for her late husband in May. The service, at Stanford University’s Memorial Auditorium, drew luminaries from technology, entertainment and politics, as mourners nearly filled the 1,700-seat auditorium.